More and more devices are being replaced with autonomous and semiautonomous electronic devices. This is especially true in the hospitals of today with large arrays of autonomous and semiautonomous electronic devices being found in operating rooms, interventional suites, intensive care wards, emergency rooms, and the like. For example, glass and mercury thermometers are being replaced with electronic thermometers, intravenous drip lines now include electronic monitors and flow regulators, and traditional hand-held surgical instruments are being replaced by computer-assisted medical devices.
These electronic devices provide both advantages and challenges to the personnel operating them. Many of these electronic devices may be capable of autonomous or semiautonomous motion of one or more articulated arms and/or end effectors. As these electronic devices move the articulated arms and/or end effectors about a work space, either automatically and/or at the command of an operator, they generally try to avoid collisions between the articulated arms, end effectors, and/or other objects in the work space. Avoiding collisions is important because collisions may often result in damage to the electronic devices, the articulated arms, the end effectors, and/or the other objects in the work space. Collisions may also increase the risk of injury to personnel in the vicinity of the work space and/or patients.
One solution to the collision avoidance problem is to have the operators of the electronic devices, (e.g., medical personnel) monitor and operate each of the electronic devices while maintaining suitable separation distances and/or operate the devices in such a way that they do not interfere with and/or are unable to collide with each other. For example, a computer-assisted surgical device may only be permitted in areas of the operating room where it won't interfere or collide with an imaging system also present in the operating room. Such a restriction may limit the functionality of both the computer-assisted surgical device and the imaging system.
Other approaches include having the electronic devices exchange information regarding their current locations, geometries, and/or planned motions so that each of the devices may stay out of the areas occupied by the other electronic devices. In some instances, this may also include maintaining a safety margin to account for sensor uncertainties, imprecision in control algorithms, and/or the like. These approaches generally take a static approach to the safety margins and provide little or no support for adjusting the safety margins based on changes in the dynamic behavior and/or motion goals of the electronic devices.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods and systems for supporting collision avoidance and/or coordinated motion among devices with moving segments.